You are here

A Thanksgiving Taste for Tzedakah

Mitzvah Hero: Lauryn Richman, 13, has always given thanks for what she has as a youngster growing up in Lafayette Hill. It’s apropos, then, that she has felt a special connection to Thanksgiving as an ideal time to show her appreciation.

What It’s All About: “My father always taught me that it is important to realize that the world isn’t perfect,” says the daughter of Ike Richman and Lynne Richman. “There are people who don’t have the same opportunities as I may have. He encouraged us to do something about it.”

That “something” has become a tradition that would keep the Fiddler rocking on his shaky roof. Some years back, Lauryn and her older sister, Allanah, started collecting cans of food around Thanksgiving to donate to the "Camp Out for Hunger" drive run by radio station WMMR.

That whetted Lauryn's taste for tzedakah. At another suggestion from her dad, the seventh-grader at Colonial Middle School began serving hot meals to residents at the Norristown State Hospital on Thanksgiving. The sisters visit during the holiday season in December, too.

“We make them feel special that day by serving them, sitting with them and talking to them," said Lauryn, who will become a Bat Mitzvah at Congregation Or Ami in Lafayette Hill on May 31.

Good for Her: Helping others helps her, says Lauryn.

“I feel very lucky, fortunate to have opportunities. Helping others makes me realize that not everyone has it so easy.”